House of Commons.

• Author: Paradis, Marie-Louise

On May 10, during Private Members Business, motion M-222 of opposition Member Yvon Godin on employment insurance benefits, after being amended, was agreed to unanimously. It is relatively rare that motions from Private Members' Business are adopted.

On May 16, during Statements by Members, Derek Lee paid tribute to former Members who had passed away during the year as well as to those former Parliamentarians who had attended a memorial service in honour of the deceased. The commemoration service replaced the individual tributes previously made by Members in the House. At the end of Statements by Members, the Speaker recognized in the gallery those former Members who had attended the memorial service.

On May 29, at the end of Routine Proceedings, Pierre Brien rose on a point of order to ask the Speaker if Standing Order 36 could be interpreted to permit the presentation of electronic petitions. The Deputy Speaker quoted S.O. 36(2)f) which states that petitions must contain only original signatures and addresses written directly onto the petition and not pasted thereon or otherwise transferred to it. He suggested that the Member raise the matter with the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs which could recommend changes to the Standing Orders.

Loyola Hearn, Member for the electoral district of St John's West, was introduced in the House on May 30, by Peter MacKay, and Norman Doyle. Elected under the banner of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada during a by-election on May 15, 2000, Mr. Hearn brought the number of Members for this Party to 18.

The House of Commons adjourned for the summer on June 15.

Committees

On May 2, 2000, Bob Mills sent to the Clerk of the Standing Committee on Health a notice of a motion that Lynn Myers no longer be Chair of this Committee. For lack of quorum during the previous meetings, the motion could only be moved during the May 29 meeting of the Committee. However, after debate, the motion was withdrawn.

Further to its order of reference of March 16, resulting from questions of privilege raised in the House, the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs held a series of meetings to determine the level of confidentiality that should exist in the office of legislative counsel of the House. Robert Marleau, Clerk of the House of Commons, and Rob Walsh, Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel, appeared before the Committee as well as two of the legislative counsel of the House and Diane...